Robots to deliver food in San Francisco

Yelp Eat24 and robotics manufacturer Marble have launched a robot-based food delivery service in San Francisco, TechCrunch reports.

After a user orders food through Yelp's website or mobile application, the robot picks the food up from the restaurant, navigates the sidewalks, and brings it to the user's address.

This announcement comes after a similar service was launched in London last December and after Idaho passed a law allowing ground-based delivery robots for the first time this March.

Robot deliveries could serve as a viable alternative to — and, in some cases, complement — drone deliveries. Here's why:

Lack of regulation. Drone use is highly regulated in the US, as the Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits commercial drone deliveries. Conversely, there are virtually no regulations for delivery robots, so a service that employs robots to make deliveries will likely come to market before one that uses drones.

Lower chances of interference. Drones could run into other aircraft, such as helicopters or consumer drones, during deliveries, especially if the skies are cloudy. These robots, since they move about on the sidewalks, have less of a chance of colliding with a car, for example.

But delivery robots might have to deal with potential thefts or collisions with pedestrians — issues that are unlikely with drone deliveries. While neither has been a major barrier to adoption so far, they are worth monitoring to see if these hold back ground-based delivery robots from gaining steam.

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